Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is under mountain pressure to resign or face possible impeachment on charges that he tried to barter away the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Obama for cash or a plum job in what prosecutors call "a political corruption crime spree."

One certainty of next Tuesday's ballot will be the elevation of the first sitting senator to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1961. It also ensures that the Senate is going to see another new face next year in addition to those who win election next week.

One certainty of next Tuesday's ballot will be the elevation of the first sitting senator to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1961. It also ensures that the Senate is going to see another new face next year in addition to those who win election next week.

The Illinois Senate passed one of the state's more fundamental post-Watergate campaign finance reforms -- a measure supporters say is a small but crucial step toward tamping down Illinois' reputation for "pay to play" politics.